15 Days of One-Shots

The Fair

15 Days of One-Shots (8/15) 

Niall and Liam stepped onto that Ferris Wheel as two boys, both confused and jittery, and stepped off as one. 

It was a charity event, held at a local fair, and the boys, Liam included, had all shown up a bit tipsy to make it through the long afternoon of smiles for cameras.

Louis and Harry had dispersed almost the second the group had finished going down the press line, and Liam had winced sympathetically for Harry as Louis dragged him towards the metal death-trap of a rollercoaster that loomed in the distance.

Liam, Niall and Zayn had then wondered around for a bit, weaving in and out of the clusters of celebrities of similar fame, as they small talked and smiled their way through nameless faces. It was Zayn who broke off from Liam and Niall, his eye spotting a familiar braid of black hair, and whiff of perfume.

One second Zayn had been walking on Liam’ right, and the next second, he’d trailed away after the girl, leaving Niall and Liam alone.

Which was very, very bad.

Lately Liam and Niall had been playing this game. Liam wasn’t exactly sure what to call it. Not flirting. It wasn’t flirting because Niall was straight and Liam…well Liam had an ex-girlfriend. Which meant he’d been straight, or at least thought he was straight, for a good sum of time.

Which meant Niall thought Liam was straight, which meant it wasn’t flirting.

It was just, commenting on the color of each other’s eyes, and holding onto each other’s shoulders a bit longer than necessary. It was like being ‘Larry Stylinson’ only instead of Louis and Harry, it was them.

And it was very, very bad.

“Liam,” Niall suddenly tugged at Liam’s hand, his grip tightening, not letting go as Liam stared down at it, swallowing thickly, “Ferris Wheel!”

Sometime Liam forgot Niall was really, like, two instead of eighteen.

“Ah, Niall, mate, it’s late. We have to catch a ride back to the after party soon, why don’t we just-” Liam stopped short as he looked into Niall’s wide, pleading puppy eyes. It really wasn’t fair that Niall had been blessed with a secret weapon, like those. “Fine,” Liam muttered in agreement, and his stomach flipped as Niall dragged him, by the fucking hand, over to the empty queue line for the Ferris Wheel.

“No wait!” Niall bounced excitedly, into one of the empty cars, and Liam forced a smile onto his own seat, sliding into the seat next to Niall.

Their thighs were pressed up against each other, and Liam worked to steady his own breathing, as the lap bar was pushed down over his lap.

“Hey Liam,” Niall asked, after a minute of their slow climb to the top of the large Ferris wheel, and Liam turned to Niall, from where he’d been staring down at the people who were becoming smaller and smaller below. “Can I ask you a question?”

Liam swallowed nervously, heart pounding in his chest, “Now?”

Niall shrugged a shoulder, “Well, it’s kind of a personal one. And I figured you wouldn’t want anyone to here, and no one can. Because up here, there’s only me and you.”

The words “me and you” clouded Liam’s mind and he worked to shake them away, nodding at Niall to continue.

Niall took a deep breath and nodded, “It’s just. I know you care a lot about this band.”

Liam bit his lip, waiting for Niall to continue. Waiting for Niall to asked the one questions that months of this ‘not flirting’ game they’d been playing had led up to. This was it.

“But you deserve to know, because you’re, God, you’re my best mate. I think, uh, I think I’m gay. And I know that won’t exactly help the band, and I wanted-”

Liam cut Niall off, right as their cart on the Ferris Wheel peaked, and they were high above in the sky, hundreds of people milling about, completely oblivious to the two boys in the sky, who’s lips were locked together.

Niall’s lips were chapped and rough, and tasted like Doritos and Liam felt a brush crawl up his neck as he realized that this is what he’d been after, the months he’d spent playing his game with Niall.

They’d both won, and their prize was now, on top of the Ferris Wheel, above inquiring eyes and cameras.

Niall pulled back as the chair began it’s descent back down, and he bit his lip nervously, smiling coyly at Liam.

“That was unexpected-”

“I know-”

“I had hope, but didn’t know-”

“Me too-”

Niall nodded, grin puling at his lips. Their chair reached the ground and Liam slowly pushed himself out, Niall following slowly, both the boys flushed and grinning stupidly. They headed in the direction of the exit, their hands brushing against each other as they walked slowly side-by-side, out of the fair that had changed everything.